Boeing opens defense and space engineering center at Embry-Riddle 

Boeing has cut the ribbon on a new engineering center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Research Park inside the aviation university’s Daytona Beach, Florida campus, a facility the company says will accelerate its defense technology programs while bringing hundreds of high-skilled jobs to the region. 

The Boeing Engineering Center, housed inside the Cici & Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology, became fully operational September 10, 2025. At 65,000 square feet, the space will serve as a hub for design, prototyping, and advanced research tied to Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s Air Dominance portfolio.   Boeing officials said the center is expected to support roughly 400 new jobs as hiring continues. 

“This day represents an important milestone for Boeing, Embry-Riddle and the broader Daytona Beach community,” said Dan Gillian, Vice President and General Manager of Boeing Air Dominance. “This engineering center will accelerate Boeing’s work on critical defense programs and deepen our partnership with Embry-Riddle, giving us access to an exceptional talent pipeline and enabling collaboration to drive aerospace innovation.” 

The center builds on a growing relationship between Boeing and Embry-Riddle, whose Daytona Beach campus is one of the leading suppliers of graduates to the aerospace industry. Boeing said the location will allow it to work directly with faculty, students, and researchers while drawing on the university’s long-established strengths in aviation and engineering. 

Embry-Riddle leaders hailed the development as both a boost to the local economy and a validation of years of investment in the Research Park.   “In addition to creating high-paying jobs, these collaborations cultivate a dynamic exchange between students, faculty and industry leaders, ensuring innovation thrives at the intersection of education and enterprise,” said P. Barry Butler, Embry-Riddle’s President. “We are delighted that Boeing’s new facility will draw on the rich pool of local talent and strengthen the vital pipeline between academic achievement and industry success — a partnership forged by the forward-thinking policies and steadfast support of both higher education and aerospace by the leadership of the state of Florida.” 

Mori Hosseini, Chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees, described the center as a milestone not only for Daytona Beach but for Florida as a whole.   “With Boeing’s partnership, hundreds of talented individuals and their families will now have opportunities to live, work and thrive here, investing in our local economy and supporting the future of aviation and aerospace,” he said. “The impact — made possible by local philanthropists Cici and Hyatt Brown, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the legislature — is immeasurable.” 

The Research Park has already demonstrated its economic impact. Embry-Riddle says the park has generated nearly 2,000 jobs and more than $372 million in economic activity since opening in 2017. Officials believe Boeing’s arrival will strengthen the park’s role as a magnet for aerospace and technology companies, adding another global brand to an ecosystem that already spans aviation, cybersecurity, commercial space, and entrepreneurial startups. 

Boeing executives also emphasized the company’s commitment to the wider community. Alongside the new facility, Boeing announced a $100,000 donation to support STEM education programs through the Boys & Girls Club of Volusia and Flagler counties and to provide food assistance for students via the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. 

For Boeing, the Daytona Beach center reflects both strategic needs and long-term planning, the company says. Boeing continues to invest in defense programs focused on next-generation fighters and autonomous systems, areas that require large numbers of highly trained engineers. By placing a major center at Embry-Riddle, Boeing said it gains proximity to a ready pipeline of graduates while reinforcing ties with one of the nation’s top aviation universities. 

“This engineering center will accelerate Boeing’s work on critical defense programs,” Gillian said, “and deepen our partnership with Embry-Riddle, giving us access to an exceptional talent pipeline and enabling collaboration to drive aerospace innovation.” 

The ribbon-cutting also underscores the increasingly important role Florida plays in aerospace development, stretching from Cape Canaveral and the Space Coast through Daytona Beach. Hosseini called it the “space triangle,” a region that now boasts a mix of academic institutions, space launch facilities, and major industry partners. The post Boeing opens defense and space engineering center at Embry-Riddle  appeared first on AeroTime.

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